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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARAGON POINT PUD OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 48 91 - REPORTS - CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONDecember 3, 1991 Fort Collins City Planning and Zoning Board 281 North College Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Dear Board Members: We, the homeowners of SouthRidge Greens Community Association, wish to express our total opposition to the possible extension of SouthRidge Greens Boulevard into the proposed new development of Paragon Point P.U.D. for the following reasons: 1. SouthRidge Greens homeowners are being asked to participate in the risk associated with a new development, and a new developer with no tract; record. If the project fails, or the developer chooses not to go beyond Phase 1, we end up with more traffic, a longer dead end street, and no connection to Trilby Road. The developer gains by the use of our street into his new development, and SouthRidge receives nothing in return, except more traffic, more speed, more air pollution, more noise, increased possibility of accidents, and reduced desirability of property along the boulevard, making resale of homes more difficulty, to name a few. In studying the entire new development plans, it appears as though there would never be a sound financial reason to complete the last phase of the project, as it is now planned. The last phase including approximately 30 home sites would then require the construction of the last portion of SouthRidge Greens Boulevard to Trilby Road, and Trilby Road improved to Lemay Ave. This would be the most costly phase of the development with the lowest return of the investment by nature of the fact that only 30 lots remain for sale. Therefore, there is nothing that would force the developer to do the last phase. Because of the cost of development and improvement of the two roads, the final phase of the development would be cost prohibative, and the developer could simply walk away from the project. Not only would the residents of both subdivisions be adversly affected, but also the City of Fort Collins. 2. We are very concerned about SAFETY in our neighborhood. Some of the problem areas with regards to Paragon Point are as follows: lA). Extension of the boulevard will require an additional street crossing for the golf course. With 40,000 rounds of golf played each year, a total _ hazard risk for the City of Fort Collins, as well as SouthRidge, ballons to 160,000 people crossing through a collector street. We feel the potential accident risk would be drastically increased, leaving the City, it's staff, and citizen boards exposed to negligence potentials. (B). Because SouthRidge Greens Boulevard is now a dead end cul-de-sac, the children of the area have been using the street for roller skating, skate boarding, bicycling, etc. Extending the boulevard would not necessarily halt the use by children, just increase the possibility of accidents and injuries. (C). The boulevard narrows just south of where Hummel Lane intersects to a width of 36 feet. When vehicles are parked on both sides of the street, opposite each other, it becomes very tight for two lane traffic. (D). Sight distances at some of the intersections and golf crossings are already quite limited. More traffic would increase the safety hazard. Front Nine Drive, where it joins the Boulevard, is a good example of a short sight distance problem. (E) The grades of the streets in SouthRidge are considerably steeper than in most areas of the city --thus posing an additional problem of safety, especially on icy or wet slippery street conditions. Again, the hazard is increased with more traffic. (F). If the Paragon Point project is approved, SouthRidge Greens Boulevard will be classed as a collector street. Our neighborhood has 30 home sites that must back out onto the boulevard from their driveways. These backing movements are not considered to be consistent with the operation of a collector. Due to curves and hills on the Boulevard, great care must be taken when backing from one's driveway. This situation can only deteriorate on a through street. (G). Enforcement of speed limits is marginal at best. Adding to the length of a dead end road, even on a temporary basis, will only encourage traffic to move at a greater rate of speed. During development and construction of the new first phase of the project, with all the utilities, streets, curb and gutter, etc., it will require a large volume of heavy equipment. In spite of developers efforts, this equipment will undoubtedly use the Boulevard for the main part of the upper development. Trilby Road is not an improved street at this time, so most drivers will elect not to drive that route, if a better route is available. (H). From the standpoint of response time for all evergency vehicles, a quicker route would be the use of Lemay Ave. to the south, Trilby Road east, and then north from Trilby. Another route could be simply Lemay Ave south, and then east ❑n any new road of the development. Matt Dellich, consulting traffic engineer, noted at the first Neighborhood meeting on this matter, that this route would be quicker than using SouthRidge Greens Boulevard. 3. Perhaps in the traffic study, the street design of SouthRidge Blvd. is sufficient to handle the anticipated traffic, but the study does not take into consideration the effects on the neighborhood. Noise, pollution, traffic dangers, vibration from construction vehicles, difficulty of enforcing speed limits, are not discussed or addressed, but they have a difinite bearing on the quality of life in SouthRidge. 4. SouthRidge Blvd. was built with a raised median to separate the traffic lanes. The developer built this street, and homowneers paid for it when lots were purchased. SouthRidge property owners contribute monthly dues to pay for the maintenance, upkeep, repair, electric and water needs for the center islands, and side.area green belts of SouthRidge Greens Boulevard. The new developer to the south will not contribute to the extra expense of the street, nor the monthly care. He would however realize a great benefit by being able to utilize our beautiful entryway to enhance his own project. 5. SouthRidge Greens Boulevard is an obvious dead end cul-de-sac. Prospective buyers in SouthRidge have had no reasonable way of knowing that the Blvd. might some day be extended. The subdivision plat of record does not show,the boulevard extension. To change this to a through street now is doing a very great injustice to the people of SouthRidge. The fact that this street extension is on the master plan, doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be carried out in exactly the manner it was once planned. This was acknowledged by Steve Olt of the Planning department. 6. SECURITY is also important to us. We, in SouthRidge, have been very fortunate, thus far, to have very few break-ins, and or vandalism, and we attribute this to the fact that we have but ONE entrance and exit for normal traffic use. We want to keep it that way. 7. The Fort Collins City Golf Board has gone on record as opposing the extension of the Boulevard. SouthRidge Greens homeowners join in that opposition, because of the detrimental effect on the 12th tee, and the apparent dangers from the boulevard proximity to the 11th green. Here again, the new developer gains at the expense of others. We are extremely concerned that Paragon Point, phase one, will be constructed, using the proximity of the golf course and access through the boulevard as two of its selling points. After completion of phase one, when "the cream is skimmed from the top", the developer will be faced with the tremendous expense of bringing Trilby Road up to city standards, and will simply choose to not finish the subdivision. This will leave SouthRidge Greens in an unenviable position. We offer these possible constructive suggestions to insure no extension of SouthRidge Greedns Blvd. from the now existing dead end cul-de-sac: 1. Change the structure of the phases of the new development: (A). 1st phase would be the entire portion of the new development east of Fossil creek, and would be accessed from Trilby Road. Trilby Road would be completed from the south, at the beginning of the project. Homes beyond the 660' distance from Trilby would be "Sprinkled"., therfore eliminating the need for a 2nd entrance or exit, for fire department reasons. (B). As an alternative to "Sprinkling", and provide an access for emergency vehicles, it is our suggestion to make a temporary emergency access road over the 12th tee area of the golf course, with knock down type barriers --to be used only by emergency vehicles. There would be no damage to the golf course, or change its play. This would still require that all streets serving the new development be constructed in that development, thus having no adverse affect on SouthRidge subdivision. (2). Provide a main entrance access east from Lemay Ave. via a bridge over Fissii Creek. At the neighborhood meeting the developer stated that it was too expensive to construct such a bridge. We question pitting his economic savings against the deminished quality of life for the residents of SouthRidge. This approach, in conjunction with (1,A) above, would provide two accesses, the most direct route, and the least "time response" for all emergency vehicles. Any of these alternative solutions are feasible, and thus completely eliminate SouthRidge subdivision contingency involvement. Based on the Paragon Point subdivision phase one plan as presented, WE U_R_G_E_YOU_T_ TO VOTE NO on the extension of SouthRidge Greens Boulevard. Thank you for your consideration. Sincere y, Walter Gates President, SouthRidge Greens Homeowners Association Byron D. Petersen Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee for SouthRidge Greens Homeowners Association